Hello, As you may already know, I started a Micro-Chop Substack newsletter in July. So far I have close to 800 free and paid subscribers. I’m trying to boost that number to over 1,000. If you really love my writing and want to offer some financial support, I’m running a…

A quick update on some early newsletter success. — Hi Folks, In its first six weeks the Micro-Chop Substack newsletter broke 500 total subscribers. This is very exciting news. People seem to love it so far and I love this new way of engaging my readers. The unique hybrid of newsletter and website that Substack offers has certainly helped…

House Shoes and Big Tone on Detroit history, two-track instrumentals, and the seven years it took to make their record. — Veteran producer and MC Big Tone still remembers the first time he linked with fellow Detroit native and Street Corner Music founder House Shoes in 1995. A member of a group called University at the time, Tone walked into an iconic Detroit hip-hop landmark with a beat tape in his…

The Flint native on FL Studio trial versions, vintage video game flips, and turning a children’s TV show theme into a classic beat. — Veteran producer NAMELESS still vividly remembers his earliest days crafting instrumentals as a teenager growing up in Flint, Michigan during the late 1990s and early 2000s. Like many sample choppers who came of age as computers became a staple in American homes, he started making beats by testing his skills…

The versatile L.A. producer discusses bouncing back from a severe car accident, her impressive debut album, and new royalty-free Ableton compositions. — (Updated July 15th, 2019) Before making waves with her impressive (mostly) instrumental debut YUNG, L.A. beat scene staple Linafornia first found her way into production as a form of catharsis during a dark time in her life. “I started making beats because I was doing physical therapy, learning how to…

Please give it a try. — Hi Folks, I’ll keep it short and simple. I need to find new ways to earn income from my writing. Substack is a newsletter service that lets writers charge for their work while building a unique audience. I’m starting a Micro-Chop Substack newsletter to share existing work from my archives…

Or, why I’m not giving away most of my work for free anymore. — (Updated on July 15th, 2019) O n Tuesday, June 25th, 2019, my wife Jenn and I were driving to Orlando. Having spent the better part of a day and a half driving from Massachusettes, I noticed that my car was overheating as I pulled onto I-4 about an hour away…

Ohbliv explains the value of building bridges in your artistic community, his rejection of traditional song structure, and the meaning of his new album. — Dig into Richmond, Virginia native Ohbliv’s old tweets and you’ll see him using the phrase “give thanks” as far back as 2010, long before the release of his May 2019 album with the same name. So where exactly does the saying come from and what’s the significance? “It’s something that…

The Ypsilanti native discusses making a song for his mother, using his voice as an instrument, and how the deaths of Philando Castile and Alton Sterling influenced his music. — 23-year production veteran 14KT has often found the creative process with relative ease during his career. He started his musical odyssey by recording raps through a busted pair of headphones and constructing pause tape beats with his boombox during his high school years. As his sample chopping skills improved with…